m1 Order: An App Giving A Technological Boost to Small Local Stores

Digitization has transformed the face of businesses across the globe. Every enterprise in every segment has been dramatically affected by this mega trend, so much so that it has become imperative for entrepreneurs to go digital in order to maintain a competitive edge. However, given the infrastructural challenges and lack of outlook to innovate, small traditional enterprises in India are still struggling to catch up with this trend.

To resolve this issue and give a technological fillip to the local neighborhood stores which still depend on phone calls, pamphlets distribution or walk-ins to get their orders, m1 Order came into being.

Founded in 2015 by Tejinder Oberoi, m1 Orderis an mCommerce platform, specially designed for local enterprises including kirana stores and restaurants, to enable them list their products online. Apart from getting a mobile platform, enterprises can also use their print collaterals- newspaper ads, magazines ads, product catalogs, menus and even ubiquitous business cards- to generate orders via this app.

“We want to be “The Universal Ordering App” for businesses. We are committed to provide innovative means of ordering through technology to help retailers grow their business,” said Tejinder.

Problems Addressed by the Startup

Talking about the problems that m1 Order tries to resolve, Tejinder said, ” If you see the shopping pattern, customers are hassled with the personal visits to marts from parking their vehicles to buying, billing and more.”

He added, customers have limited purchasing power; they are forced to buy from available products. Similarly, if one looks at a day of a retailer/distributor, they might be attending several phone calls and in the due course, are bound to miss out on many orders. Miscommunication is nothing new while on a call.

With M1 Order, merchants can directly receive instant notifications via SMS and email for every order placed. When the local merchants are losing out in the eCommerce front, M1 Order enables them with their own marketplace, it’s their own app.

Key Features of m1 Order

Merchants can list their products on its platform so that customers can browse, compare prices and buy them.

In an attempt to breathe a new life into the age old printed product catalog or menu, the app provides a call to action to customers for placing a direct order from the print. Thus, even retailers who advertise in newspapers and magazines can use this technology to increase their orders from their print campaigns.

Consumers can simply scan the codes from the print collaterals to place an order available at their neighbourhood store via this app.

Merchants need not bear any cost of maintenance and technology upgrades, as the company takes care of all of that.

For wholesale businesses, the platform has a private store model and for consumer businesses it has a public store model available.

Monetization and Traction Details

The mobile application can be downloaded free of cost by the customer. The company charges a nominal fee i.e. Rs5 per order.

m1 Order claims to have 5000 merchants on it its portal in different stages of product promotion, development and upload.

“It’s a highly volatile market if you look around there are significant changes happening in consumer and business behavior. It’s a highly unpredictable road! Every business from brick-n-mortar to online stores, is challenged today and it’s a “Winner takes it all” scenario. We foresee a huge growth potential. It’s a habit changing drive where you need to have a persistent approach to succeed”, said Tejinder.